Northwest Issues.

Morality Play

It's A Question Of Character

Character Built In High School

May 01, 1994|By Donna M. Chavez. Special to the Tribune.

At the same time parents are worrying about what goes on in our public schools that might endanger their children, just the mention of teaching morals to public school students ruffles the feathers of many parents and educators alike.

Count Ray Broderick, principal at Elk Grove High School, among the unruffled. Elk Grove initiated a program of character education more than three years ago.

"We've established a school code of ethics that dictates how to deal with others no matter who the individuals are," Broderick said. "We focus on choices and how often the difference between good behavior and bad behavior lies in what people do with the choices they make."

The issue of teaching morals or values in public school has pushed a lot of political hot buttons in the last 25 years. In the 1960s, the pendulum of values education began to swing away from the authoritarian approach of the 1950s. It reached its limit in the '80s, when the emphasis on personal freedom displaced moral responsibility.

"We learned that this kind of values education did little to reinforce what we have come to call universal morals," said John Martin, executive director of Washington-based Character Education Partnership (CEP), dedicated to developing civic virtue and moral character in youth. Members include the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of School Administrators.

"There seems to be a national groundswell of interest in character education," Martin said. "We're finding that interest in respect and responsibility education for our youth crosses political lines."

Martin added that character education is not the same as teaching religion in schools. "Character education does not have a religious base," he said. "Our research has shown that certain values cut across religious lines as well." Those values, he said, include honesty, respect for others and truthfulness.

In Elk Grove High School, rather than simply adding a values education course to the curriculum, school officials have taken values discussion into such classes as literature and social studies. The classroom has become a mini-ethics workshop where social dilemmas are discussed, principal Broderick said.

Additionally, he said, values are taught by establishing a receptive climate within the school. Values such as honesty, respect for others and respect for self are themes that permeate every aspect of student life at Elk Grove, he said.

"There are certain core values that we can all agree on that aren't controversial. We help students understand them and understand how to apply them to their lives," Broderick said.

Programs such as peer tutoring and peer mediation, where students are guided through solving their own academic problems and interpersonal conflicts, emphasize caring about and respect for others, Broderick said.

Student Brad Roegner, 17, thinks the program has affected the overall behavior of the student body. "When I've talked to kids from other schools, I've learned that Elk Grove has the fewest fights. And there's no graffiti-not even in the bathrooms," he said.

Broderick emphasized he feels strongly about the benefits of the school's program. "I don't care what (the program) is called; when our students graduate, we want them to be positive members of society," he said.

Terry Mielzynski of Des Plaines, father of two Elk Grove High School students, endorses the efforts of the school. "Between the leadership program, values clinics and community service program, I'm pleased with the (character) education my children are getting here," he said.

Mielzynski pointed to the 75 percent participation rate in last year's non-alcoholic, non-drug post-prom activity as an indicator that students are learning personal responsibility.

Martin explained that schools where this approach to character education has been adopted have reported significant improvement in the behavior of students, with reduced graffiti and increased classroom and hallway civility.